


collect my heart

by alex_archer



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, kid!rhys, rly shitty pov switch, this is a gift fic pls donut judge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 09:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13701234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alex_archer/pseuds/alex_archer
Summary: timothy is kidnapped when vhs storm the garage---based off rp characters and an original verse with @pandoranmama on tumblr





	collect my heart

“Hey, Nish. Gotcha a surprise,” he waited a few feet away until Nisha had put down her guns. Target practice was one of the only thinks Nisha could do now, what with being almost 6 months pregnant. When she paused, he walked over with a gin and  two glasses of lemonade in hand for Nisha and himself. It wasn’t often they got lemons, but a hot day like this demanded a nice treat. He’d spiked his, of course, because he needed it. He was working on a transmission system with Rhys. Damn eight year old just wouldn’t quit, and Tim loved him for it, but the kid could go for days and not take a break. After the fourth time the kid tore apart the drive thingy that Tim didn’t understand, he up and left.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve got about 7 minutes before Rhys notices I left,” he handed Nisha her drink and leaned against the fence. He looked over and saw the rubble, piles of glass and tin at the base of a large rock, “So you’re shooting our recycling now? Did you shoot all the little critters already? You know destroying a local ecosystem is very impressive… and keeps the rats from burrowing under our beautiful handmade home.”

Nisha took the lemonade as she holstered her gun, squinting at Timothy as he borderline rambled on. She let him finish and grinned, “Wouldn’t want that shack to be even more unstable than it already is.”

Timothy gasped, “Rude! That house is amazingly crafted by my strong and capable hands.”

“It would only take a strong breeze to blow it down,” Nisha stepped forward and chuckled.

Timothy whined, “That’s a lie! It would take a lot more than just that. That house has been through a lot.”

“You’re right, cowboy. I’m sorry. With the sex we have, it’s a miracle it hasn’t fallen to rubble yet,” Nisha took a sip from her lemonade as she watched Timothy’s cheeks redden with blush. Her own face twisted at how tart the drink was, “Is this just lemon juice?”

“Listen, sugar is expensive. I couldn’t afford more than a cup,” Timothy took a drink from his own cup and coughed, choking on the alcohol burning down his throat. He smiled at Nisha and set his glass down, taking hers and doing the same. “We’ll just stick to iced tea. It’s cheap and really hard to fuck up.”

Nisha nodded in agreement and drew her weapon again, turning to face her targets. Tim knew the drill and stepped back, watching as she knocked every target down with one shot. No matter how many times he saw her shoot, no matter how many heads he saw her explode with a bullet, he still got a bit hard every time. There was something about her form and how concentrated she always was. Her smiling as she flew through battle always looked so effortless to him, but it was all practice and preparation. Something she’d tried to help him with, but he was really just better with the spray and pray method.

Taking a chance, he slowly stepped behind her, knowing he was totally safe even though his whole body was screaming to not sneak up behind a pregnant woman with a gun. He found himself pressing his body against hers, his arms loosely wrapping around hers. He rested his chin on her shoulder as she stopped firing, and he planted a few kisses on her neck, “Hey… everything is going to be ok. You’ll be an amazing mom. Rhys already thinks you’re the best mother figure in the galaxy, you got a few handmade drawings to prove it. Remember that one he drew of you punching me? He drew it because you’re awesome and badass. You got this.”

He felt her body soften beneath his as she sighed, leaning her head against his before she resumed firing, “I still gotta stay sharp.”

“Oh, definitely. By the way, does your sharpness see the truck coming at the garage from the east?” Timothy grinned as Nisha spun to stare, pulling herself out of her concentration to stare at the approaching vehicle. Nisha raised her weapon and Timothy saw her ECHO eye flare up as she scanned the horizon, “Relax. They probably just need a pitstop. I got a few gallons of gas still that they can buy off us.”

“Timothy, get Rhys. That’s not a regular drifter,” Nisha lowered her weapon and flipped the barrel open. Sliding bullets into their slots as quickly as she could, she kept her eye on the oncoming truck.

“Is it bandits?!” Timothy asked, backing up towards the house.

“There’s a vault symbol on the truck,” Nisha glanced away to give Tim a look that spoke volumes. She’d seen these vehicles before, in Lynchwood. Timothy felt his insides twist and he turned to run.

“RHYS!” he screamed, barrelling into the garage. One frantic scan of the place showed him Rhys working on soldering something in the corner, “Rhys, put it down! Come with me _now!”_ Timothy crossed the distance and tore the device out of Rhys’ hands, flicking it off as he tossed it aside.

“Hey! Dad! That’s breakable! Wait, what’s wrong,” Rhys took his helmet off as he turned to face Timothy, standing from his stool.

“Remember that place I told you about, the hiding place in the mountains? We need to go right now. Grab your things, quick!” Timothy turned and ran to a locked cabinet, fingers flying over the dials as he opened it. Reaching in he grabbed as many weapons as he could, turning around and spilling them out onto the table behind him.

“Woah, Dad… That’s a lotta guns,” Rhys spoke, watching as Timothy worked.

“Rhys, I said get your stuff. We have to run. This isn’t another practice, this is real. We have to go now,” as if to prove his urgency, Nisha fired a few shots outside and Rhys jumped. His head whipped around to try and see what was happening and then whipped his head right back to stare at Timothy. Tim paused as he realized how shaken Rhys was getting. He darted around the table and knelt in front of the kid, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him gently. The poor boy was tearing up from fear, and Timothy was terrified for him,

“Hey… Listen. We can do this, remember how badass your parents are? Well, remember how badass Nisha is? Don’t worry, we’ve gotten outta tougher scrapes than this. I need you to stay strong, show me how tough you are. Now I need you to go get your stuff,” Tim felt his heart tighten, he was telling an 8 year old boy they had to flee their home. He’d be taking Rhys right through a firefight, where the very pregnant love of his life is fighting to save their lives. Nothing about this was how he wanted to raise Rhys, he never wanted the kid to experience the things he’d experienced, and definitely not so young. But this was Pandora, and Timothy only had so much ammo to defend them with.

He sent Rhys off into the house and he got back to work, throwing as many guns as he could into a duffel bag. There were only a few that were already loaded, and he kept those aside for the fight. Pulling out his old holster he faltered for a moment, the leather and metal felt weird in his hands. Still, he found putting it on was as easy as it had been back on Elpis, like riding a bike. Last time he’d put this holster on he slaughtered an entire division of Hyperion, the division that wiped Rhys’ town off the map. He saw his hands were shaking as he slid his pistol into its home, why were his hands shaking? He’d told Rhys the truth, they’d been through way tougher situations. But this was his home, this was where they’d built a family. This wasn’t Elpis, and he’d never seen Nisha as scared as when she looked at him.

A few more shots outside shook Tim out of his stupor, and he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder, “Rhys! Rhys do you have everything?” The gunfire picked up outside as Timothy heard the shrill sound of brakes screeching. He heard Nisha yelling, and his adrenaline flooding his brain as he thought about what could possibly be happening out there. He shook his head and ran after Rhys, finding the kid trying to shove all of his books inside of a backpack.

“We can’t take all that, we have to take whatever you’ve got in this bag,” Tim lifted what looked like a bag of just socks and zipped it up, slinging it on his back with the duffel. He reached down and grabbed Rhys’ arm, yanking him up off the floor. Rhys protested and cried, but Timothy dragged him out all the same. Soon enough, Rhys accepted he couldn’t take them and was following along. Timothy stopped just before exiting the garage, motioning for Rhys to stand behind him against the wall. Tim peaked out the door’s window, he could see the rover and nothing else. It seemed like the attackers were busy in the front, and the fact that they weren’t already flooding the garage meant Nisha was still holding them off. His fear told him to run and help her, but he knew he had to get the rover and Nisha could jump in and they’d be off.

“You need to stay close to me, kiddo. I need you to stay low and stay behind. Can you do that?” Rhys nodded with a sob, wiping his nose with his sleeve. Timothy frowned and reached out to ruffle the kid’s hair. “Remember, badasses. Now let’s go,” he reached for the handle and pressed with his shoulder. The door shuddered, but wouldn’t budge..

“Fuck!” he slammed his body against the door a few more times before he stepped back and kicked it, frustrated and frenzied, the damn door still wouldn’t budge. “Shit. We’ll have to go around the front.”

Timothy caught a glimpse of a figure coming around the side of the house and he jumped back, taking Rhys down to the ground with him just as the figure opened fire on the house. Rounds pierced the thin metal walls, bullets flying above Timothy’s head as he shielded Rhys’ body with his own. He hissed and cried out as he felt a hot round lodge into his thigh, tightening himself around Rhys as though it could give a little bit more protection. He could do for a shield right about now, but he wasn’t that lucky.

As soon as the firing stopped Timothy jumped up, completely ignoring the searing pain in his leg as he grabbed Rhys. Slinging the kid under his arm, he ran. He’d have to avoid the fight out there as much as he could, get back around to the rover and pray the guy who shot at them hadn’t cut the tires yet. He stopped for a moment to get a good idea of the situation in front of the garage. There were several people firing from the truck, using the open doors as cover from Nisha’s fire. Nisha herself was under cover behind a rock, holding her own as she always did. She looked winded, but Timothy was relieved to see she looked unharmed.

He caught her eyes and motioned out his plan, getting a nod in return to indicate she knew what he was going to do. Hopefully she’d be able to run and get in the rover without them shooting her, even with the giant belly holding her back.Timothy set Rhys down and nodded at him, making sure he understood too. The kid straightened his shoulders and nodded back with a huff, drawing a rare smile out of Tim. Rhys was brave, and Tim had never been more proud of his son.

Drawing his breath, Timothy surged out of the garage and around the corner, holding Rhys behind him as close to his side as possible. However, as soon as he turned around the corner, he was met with the butt of a rifle directly to the face. With a flash of red, Timothy was sent backwards to the ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw the man who’d shot at them earlier standing above him. He watched as the man brought the rifle down again, Timothy’s nose making a sickening crack beneath it. His mount filled with blood and he coughed, turning to his side to cover his face, “Rhys! Agh- ….RUN!” He yelled, protecting himself as the man kicked at him over and over again.

He heard Nisha’s voice off to the distance, but he couldn’t understand what she was saying. Suddenly there were several people standing over him, grabbing at his arms and legs. He tried his best to fight them off, but he felt them lift his body in the arm between them all. The last thing he saw was the butt of the rifle, covered in his blood, coming back at his face one last time before his head fell back and he went limp.

* * *

 

Nisha saw Timothy peek out of the garage, saw him shielding Rhys behind him. Her heart lurched when she saw the blood almost gushing down the side of Timothy’s leg. She wanted to surge forward and kill everyone there, protect Tim and Rhys at all costs. Of course, she knew she couldn’t, not in this condition. Maybe if this had been Elpis, and these people just scavs. These people were smart, kept Nisha and Timothy separated. Timothy’s only option was to run around the garage to the rover, and she nodded in understanding. When he came out, she’d have to be ready for it. If he came out…

Shaking the doubt from her head she sent a round of bullets flying at the oppressors, and she almost missed when Timothy made his move. She saw as he ran, tucking Rhys behind him as a shield. The marauder came almost out of nowhere, hitting Tim in the face with his rifle. She saw as her lover crashed to the ground, another few blows from the rifle crashing down on his face in return.

“TIMOTHY!” She screamed, firing at the marauder and then ducking back behind cover. She yelled almost in unison with Tim for Rhys to run, “RHYS! GET OUT OF HERE!” The boy shot off like a dart, following their secret path into the mountains. A few men followed behind, but were unable to squeeze through the rock behind the small boy. Instead they turned their attention to Timothy, and the man currently kicking the shit out of the guy.

Nisha kept cover, returning the fire of those still in the attackers’ truck. She was torn between keeping cover and helping Timothy, but she managed to fire a few shots at the people struggling to carry Tim by his lanky limbs. She kept an eye on him, he was fighting them off as best as he could with the head injury they’d given him. His blood left marks on the ground from where they half dragged him towards the truck. That’s when one of them, the one who originally knocked Timothy to the ground, delivered another blow to his face and Nisha saw his head lull back and hang limp.

“No!” Nisha abandoned all sense as she leapt up out of cover, watching as they gained better purchase on Timothy’s body as he stopped fighting them. She saw his eyes roll back in his head and blood gush out of his nose. She pulled both her weapons up and took aim, managing to get two bullets into the chest of one of the marauders. He dropped Timothy into the mud as he fell to the ground with a final thud.

Cocking her guns back again, Nisha took aim at another asshole. Her shots went haywire, however, as a searing pain shot through her hip. She spun and crashed the ground with a thud, calling out as the dull throb shot through her body. First her hands went to her belly, she’d twisted and fallen on a shoulder, but she still was terrified something happened. Her mind quickly shifted back to the fight as she saw the group recover their grip on Timothy just in time to hear him faintly call out for her. His voice broke her heart, and she scrambled to grab her guns.

The marauders made it to the truck and tossed Timothy into the back, his body making a thud. She heard him groan and cough as she pulled herself towards the pistols only a few feet away. The roar of the engine brought tears to her eyes, and she didn’t stop trying to get to her guns even after the truck sped away. Grabbing the grip of one, she flipped it into her palm with expertise and aimed, firing off one last round in an attempt to blow out a tire.

She dropped the gun and flipped onto her back in the dust, covering her face with her hands. She let them go, let them take him. If she’d just concentrated, she could’ve taken them all down with one bullet here. Instead Tim was lost, injured beyond belief, and here she was, spiralling in the dirt.

“Nisha?” Rhys’ voice brought Nisha back, his hand on her forehead as he brushed hair out of her face. “Nisha, are they gone? Where’s Dad?” Rhys looked around the area, trying to locate Tim most likely. “Did they take him? Who were they? What did they want with us?”

Nisha sat up and groaned, Rhys’ voice ringing in her head. A few seconds of waiting assured Nisha the baby was fine, a kick here and there to tell her to stop moving. A weak smile tugged at her lips, this baby definitely was hers. She turned her attention to the 8 year old who was lightly sobbing next to her, his hands shaking as she grabbed them in hers. For a second, she didn’t know what to say. He just looked at her with that one brown eye, so much hope was hanging on her answers. For all he knew Tim was in the garage getting water, and he was just waiting on Nisha to tell him. It was moments like this Nisha wasn’t sure she’d be as good a mother as the baby deserved, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be this responsible for a child. Yet, Tim had told her she’d be alright. He said Rhys was proof she could do it and could do it well.

“Timothy is gone, they took him. We’re going to get him back,” Nisha stroked Rhys’ cheek reassuringly and went to stand, forgetting the wound on her hip. “Agh! Shit. First I need you to get me one of your dad’s first aid kits…”

She looked down and saw a massive scorch mark burnt into her waist, blood caked over the wound. Luckily, it looked like the bullet had just cut past her, she’d be able to walk in no time. She looked off into the distance at where she’d seen the truck speed off with Timothy, “And Rhys? Grab me that cracker tin above the sink, the one with your dad’s savings. I’m gonna need all the help I can get…”

_“I’ll get you back, cowboy… promise.”_


End file.
